12 more van fire victims identified
The remaining 12 persons killed in the recent Nooriabad van fire have been identified through DNA testing, it emerged on Wednesday.
Of the bodies kept at Edhi morgue, 10 were sent to Hyderabad, while two others were handed over to the heirs in Karachi and laid to rest.
Confirming this, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson shared the details of the deceased with The Express Tribune.
He said the deceased included Muhammad Nasir, his eight-year-old son Hassan and sister-in-law Qamar Bano, all of whom were residents of Latifabad Unit 12, Hyderabad.
Besides, he said, Asad Khan, 48, his wife Shahzadi Bibi, daughter Rukhsar, sister Sameera, along with Sameera's one-year-old daughter Umm-e-Habiba and another family member, Humaira, lost their lives in the accident. Their bodies, too, have been sent to Hyderabad for burial, he added. All of them were residents of Latifabad Unit 5, Hyderabad, as per the spokesperson.
Moreover, the body of another victim, Usman, has been handed over to his family, which has taken him to Hyderabad for burial, he said.
The remaining two bodies have been identified as Mahjabeen and her daughter Nabira, residents of Delhi Colony in Karachi, the Edhi spokesperson said, adding that they were laid to rest in a cemetery in Defence Housing Authority, phase-VIII.
According to their relatives, Mahjabeen's husband works abroad. She was visiting relatives in Hyderabad with her daughter and father-in-law, and was returning to Karachi with Nabira after the government announced schools' reopening, they said.
The deceased were killed after the passenger van, going from Hyderabad to Karachi, caught fire following an accident near ASF City on the M9 Motorway on Saturday evening. At least 17 people died as a result.
The bodies of two other victims, Humaira and Madiha Gohar, were earlier identified through DNA testing. They were handed over to the heirs on Tuesday, and taken to Hyderabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2020.